Lock construction



Patented Nov. 30, 1948 UNITED STATES -PYA'TENI @Fil-ECE LudwiglLKalwmBronx, N. Y., assigner, by rnesnc assignments, to "Keil Lock Co. Inc., Charlestown, NLH., a `corporation lof New Hanrlpshirev .Applicationnebruary 2, 19t-.astral No. 575,922

4 claims; (c1. ,29e- 169) .1 I This invention -`relates to .lock construction.

: One .ofuthe :objects .of .this .invention vis to rpro- 4'vide a-sirnple, inexpensive, and `practicallockconstruction. in xwhich turning ,of thekey-to withdraw .the bolt .brings xabout zav releasableholding ,of .the @bolt inwithdrawn position, thus to ffree vthe key hand to operate :thedoor latch .or Lknob. Anrother :object .is .to provide :a practical, reliable, and inexpensive mechanism for temporarily-.holding the boltfwithdrzawn in-.responseto olJerfat-ing the key. Another .object-iste provide afstrong, inexpensive, and durable .mechanism fcryieldingly .holdi ng vwithdrawn the bolt .of-` alock :mechanism. Another Objectis ,to adapt,.in.,aninex -pensive but ,reliable manner, known tygpes .of lock constructions so that theabolt ,may be. releasaby v.held withdrawn .in response t.to @and under the Vcontrol ,of the yexternalmember-or `member-s by which thev position of the bolt is controlled. .Another object is to facilitate, .at lowcost, itheembodiment in ,known types of ,lock constructions,

. of simple, reliable. and .eiicent .mechanism for 4releasably .holding V`the ,bolt .withdrawn and .responsive to the .actuation .of .the .external `bolt- .controlling element or elements. -Qther objects .and arrangements of .parts as will be exemplified Ain .the structure .to "be .hereinafter .described vand the scope of the .applicationof which will .be indicatedin .the .following claims.

In .the accompanying drawing, in .which is f .shown illustratively one of various .possible embodiments of my invention- Fig. ..1 is a central longitudinal .sectional view `through alock. constructionshowing the. embod- "iinent'therein of the bolt holding means;

'Fi`g.;2 vis affragmentary sectional view as vseen .alongthe line V2-2 `o'f Fig. 1, certain partsbeing omitted; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view as seen Similar reference characters irefer to similar l.parts .throughout vthe several views .ofthe drawing.

.'Referring, irst, to lFig. .1, 'I ,provide a `lock casing l0 having a top wall il, front and back end :Walls l2 and i3, respectively, .and opposed side wallslll and l5, the casing being adapted to be .closed by a backplate '1.6 which is preferably in l 'thejiorm of a stain-ping of 4suitablyheavysheet .metal and which 1s `lpositionedin Aspaced relationfrorn the front wall ll by sui-table .lugs .I8 in the .internal side and end walls of the casing IU and also by v,a fsubstantially centrally positioned post .l-S-thatprojectsvfrom and ,is `inte- .grally .formed with-the front wall Il.

Projectableirom a suitable .o'neningin the end wall ,l2 isa bolt 2li, illustratively shown as being a latch bolt,`and .itis .extendedtinwardy `of .the casing with Various .parts Iof which, includingthe back plate .I.6, it `coacts tn .beguided in its .movement .intoor .out of locking relation with ,respect to a suitable keeper (not shown).

Illustratively bolt .2li may .be ,.bifurcate-d,v having Vtwo-parallel ,arms that extend .toward `the vright, terminating in vertical .lugs .23 .and .24 adapted to .be engaged by .the .ca-rn 251that.is to loe-operated .internallyof the door, as vby a .knob2.@,..rotatably mounted Iin the front wall l l, and by a cam '21 that is to .be operated ,by theconnecting .bar .28 .attachedto the key-controlled key Iplug 29.110- tatablyf-mo- 11nted in .a suitable 'bore of the lock .cylinder orbarre'lll, oi'. any usualor suitable Wpc .key-controlledtumbler mechanism. v y

` The vbolt .211, whereit is, oi the latch WD?, has

' a spring'32 tobiasit-outwardly of the casing l0,

.one .end of the spring extending over asuitable .tapered lug 13.3, projecting to the. right from the head ,of the bolt, and .the other end of the spring abutting .aganist the post i9, the spring 32 being accommodated ,amply in the vspacebetween ithe karrns2l`and22of the boltZll; any suitable means may be Aemployed 'to limit outward .projection of .thelbolt 20 and, conveniently ,that may be done .by a cross-piece' or crossabar 34 `that extends from onearm 2| to the other '22, being conveniently castv integrally therewith.' 'and Abein,g.positie neclfso lthat it engages thepost 1'9 at just the point'w'here outward Iprojection of the bolt 2l) is toibe Vlimite'd. "Suitable llugsl'projecing Yupwardly and downwardlyirom the bolt structure, as vseen -in 1Fig.` 1, .and including the endlugs 23 and-'24, en-

gage the top wall Il and theback 'platejla or engage suitableguideways in the front ,wallll,

rsxrtllal'; the bolt 20 islslideably, guided for movement in withdrawing orfprojecting -direction-s.

`In a'ccordance-with certain" features of `my invention I providehpreferably as an 4integralpart of the back plate `llya'rigid. upstanding`l1ig 36 positioned to coact vwiththe armsZla' Aand 12"!b ofthe cam 21, and I provide a .rotatable-.mounting of the Ycam I2l vin the back plateithatI gives the 'cam 21 1a Vrsubstantial extent of radiallooseness or play, andA this `I may do by providing'a hole 31 "in the `@backjplate l-that'is oflsubstan- Ltiall-y greater radius {thanthe bearingportion of 3 the cam 21; thereby the cam 21 is physically shiitable relative to the back plate I6, for a purpose later described.

The cam 21 has a bearing portion, coacting with the hole 31, that may be of any suitable or desired form, but preferably, and solely by way of illustration, that portion and the general structure of the cam 21 and its assembly to the back plate I6 take the form disclosed in Patent No. 2,225,545, to which reference may be made for details involved. For present purposes it is suficient to point out that, in such case, the cam 21-in the form, preferably, of a sheet metal stamping-has opposed arcuate parts 21c and 21d bent at right angles to its plane and terminating in outwardly extending ianges 21e and 21f; the hole 31 in back plate I6 has an extension 31EL which, in arcuate and peripheral extent, is slight 1y greater than that of'leither of the ange parts 21e and 21f, so that either of the latter Ycan pass therethrough. Y Y

For assembly, therefore, one of the parts21e or 21f, viewing Fig. 3, is snaked through the hole 31`so as to underlie the back plate I6; then, by suitable rotary movement of the cam 21, the other part 21f or 21,e is brought into alignment with the cutout 31a so that it may pass therethrough and upon continued rotary movement thus also brought to underlie the back plate I6.4 In` that manner, according to the above-mentioned patent, the cam is easily assembled to or disassembled from the back plate.

Where such a cam structure is modiiied to gain the assembly advantages just noted, the radius of curvature of the opposed arcuate bearing portions 21c and 21d and the radius of curvature of the bearing portion of the hole 31 are purposely made diierent to give the above-mentioned play in a radial direction, and that play may be on the order of nl: of an inch or so, andin somewhat exaggerated form, that difference and that play are indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawing. Centrally located with respect to the arcuate bearing poru tions 21c and 21d is a rectangular hole 38 to receive the connecting bar 28 above mentioned, so that the cam 21 may be given rotary movement in. either clockwise or counter-clockwise direction (Fig. 3), as may be needed, under the control of the tumbler block mechanism 29--30, and I have found that a substantial amount of play does not interfere With ease and appropriate actuation of the cam 21 by the keyA mechanism.

Accordingly, and as better appears from Fig. 3, rotary movement in either direction of thecam 21 causes withdrawing movement, to the right, of the bolt structure 2U, either arm 218L engaging the bolt lug 23 for that purpose or arm 21b engaging the lug 24. Under the resultant load or strain imposed upon the rotating cam 21, including the load, caused by the spring 32, which is compressed during withdrawing movement, the cam 21 has its bearing portions 21c and 21d urgedftoward the left,the play or looseness of bearing iit being, therefore, such that a subsequent shifting bodily of the cam 21 toward the right may take place, as later explained. l.

`The rigid upstanding lug 36 in the back plate and the cam 21 are shaped to coact lupon compointing toward but spaced from the axis of the bearing hole 31. The front or left edge 21g of the cam 21, in the illustrated embodiment, is preferably arcuate and may be of the same radius throughout-a, radius such that, during rotary movement of the cam 21, it just by-passes or clears the apex of the lug 36-but in that edge I provide notches 21h and 21k so positioned that one of them, depending upon rthe direction of rotation, is brought opposite the rigid lug 36 just about at the moment when the arm of the other notch has completed withdrawing movement of the bolt 20. Since only one of the arms 21a or 21h takes the reaction of the spring 32 as it is being compressed during bolt Withdrawal, that portion of the rotary bearing surface or surfaces Of the cam 21 that is along the radius of the cam arm that eiects bolt Withdrawal is, due a-lso to the ltorque imposed by the turning of the connecting bar 28, brought into tangential bearing contact substantially along the just-mentioned radius, thus shifting the location of the radial play to a point diametrically opposite.

For example, if the cam 21 in Fig. 3 is rotated clockwise, it is cam arm 21a that moves the bolt "to the right by'engaging the bolt lug 23, and, just about when the point of engagement of arm 21a vslightly continued rotary movement of the cam 21 is now more of abodily displacement of the `entire cam 21, being mostly a pivotal swinging 'thereof in clockwise direction, with the point of engagement of arm 21a and the lug 23 serving as a pivot for such displacement, thus moving the arm 21h bodily to the left to engage the walls of the notch 21k against the lug 36-Which can be somewhat rounded over, as shown in Fig. 3 and in the course of ,such bodily displacement or pivoting movement of the cam 21, the play between the bearing part 21d and the above-mentioned opposite portion of the wall of hole 31 vis taken up, that play facilitating the bodily displacement just described.

The interengagement of notch 21k and the lug 35 hold the cam 21 against further rotary movement which is halted by the operator of the key at that point, for he feels the distinct snap-action which results, and that relationship of the parts is maintained by the spring 32 which acts upon the cam through arm 21a to hold it displaced .left- `wardly and, hence, to hold the notch 21k and lug 36 in engagement. The bolt 20 thus is held in withdrawn position.

The key 39, through the action or the key plug 29 with `the cam 21, by way of the connecting bar 28, is likewise held in rotated position correspending to bolt-withdrawn condition and, hence, cannotbe withdrawn from the key plug 29. The operator lets go of the key and, with the same hand, can then `operate the door knob or door latch handle and thus open the door, even though therother hand is encumbered by bundles or the like, and, having entered, the operator again takes hold of the key 39 to turn it to its normal position where it can be withdrawn from the key plug; the initial application by the operator of even only a slight torque toturn the key back, disengages the displaceable cam 21 and its notch 21k from the lug 36, aided by the energy stored in the compressed spring 32 which acts upon the cam to tend to turn it and, hence, also the key Vrit isgprovided with angabe c `rmay ibepassed asorew Vil ,tobefjthreaded' into a rpositionythe-key plug rotates to itsnorrnalver `:tical position so that the -keyf-mayiibe withdrawn, the the Aoperator-viwithdraws the key.

f-'Lhavefound itl advantageous, ifalso, .to approp-r-iatelytshaperthetedgelg of the foam 2i to -function asacam edge in relation to thefrigid :lu-gfPSi, `functioning anxedcam follower, .so that the major Acentral or middle portion of the edge 121g :to either side fof a .central .horizontal zaxis, lin'lig .3, .isarcuate-:and :of ,a l radius such fthatg-by .the action of spring 32, it rides along the 'lug-136 :to :maintain .,the pl-ay between .the cam shearing portions `and -the'hole :3l substantially` minimum throughout a .substantial y)portion of rotary movement of the cam lfrom its starting position, whencexthe 4portions -of the edge Mgrj-us-t before either notchreaches'.theilugidvindi- `cated ,at Em-are of progressively increasingo radius, thus to camandlbodily displace :the cam -2Tl .somewhat to :the -rightpas viewed in mthus to .sh-ift the-play to.regionlbetweenthe'left portions of the bearing surf-aces ,between the cam 2l, under-the,tens-ion;@1f-springy 32, to snap in-.the general A.direction A,to the left when permitted so to do by the -notchin the -ca-m riding intorelatiOnship :withcthe lug 35. This action is, in general, similar to the above-described bodily pivotal movement of the cam into position to daten ther-,bolt .withdrawn `Lposition. Return rotary movement under thelcontrolof the key snaps theparts out of latchingposition and permits the latch bolt to snap into projected position.

Where the back plate LBJ ,Triade of sheet-metaL ure `through y:which threaded hole inthe post i9, thus to hold the plate l5 assembled to the casing, and, in constructing the rigid lug It@ rabove described, instead `-of punching a hole yinthe plate lG1for thoifpdsage of the screw di, I strike up a tongue or ear of sheet metal to leave a slot 42 of suitable width to freely pass the screw ll! and then conform that tongue or ear of metal by a suitable operation into the V-shape (see Figs, 1 and 3) and to thereby form the above-described lug 35. The V-shape given to the lug gives it substantial strength and rigidity, and misalignment of the various parts is not aiected by the length or width of the slot 42 in the back plate, since the latter carries not only the lug 3S, but also the cam 2l, and, hence, the relationship to achieve the engagements and coactions above described can thus be fixed and remains unaffected by the relationship between the slot 42 and the screw 4l, the plate i6 being substantially snugly tted with the side and end walls of the lock casing Il) itself.

Where it is desired that the bolt 2! be held in withdrawn position in response to actuation of the knob 26, the bearing portion 26a of the knob and the wall of the hole lla in the casing wall li are given relative radii to give the desired looseness of fit or the desired play for bodily displacement oi the cam 25, as will now be clear in View of the above description of the rotary mounting of the cam 21 and the back plate I6. Cam 25 is secured to the inner end of the shank of knob 2B in any suitable way, and it has two arms 25a and 25h with notches 25h and 25g and with a cam edge 251', substantially the same as the corresponding parts of the above-described cam 27, and these parts coact with the spring 32 and with a fixed lug I9a which may be cast as an 6 nextensionfoi-tthezpost iii orof the ffrontwa-llrll of fthe casing util, rand ,which vmay be given a -V vshape, if desired, yas indicated in Fig. 2.

These=parts coact ina manner which willenow be yclearnin that .the coactions can be the same vr.astwasabove described in connection with Fig. ,3,

and, accordingly, thelatch bolt Zymay beheld iwithdravvneinresponse to rotary movement of -therknobZG in either direction, the play between the bearing y.surfaces v(exaggerated vin .Fig. 1,2)

shifting solas -to-,interengage a notchof the cam vwith-thelug .Igel-under the coaction of theturning `torque and `the;,action of the vspring 3,2 to catch andaholdthe cam25 in a position where its4 correspondingarm holds the bolt il in Withdrawn position. VThe .application `of a ,slight torque to ,the knobr2in reverse direction effects a quick disengagement, the springcllz snapping ,all `ofthe parts v.to initialornorinal position.

It will thus be seenthat there has been pro- .vided in thisiinvention a lock construction in which thevarious objects above noted, together -with many-thoroughly practical advantages, are

.successiullyachieved It will be seen that the mechanism yis simple, yand inexpensive to construct .-and assemble; that complications of mechanisms are avoided, and that simplicityrand reliability of `action a-re l dependa-bly achieved.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention .and as many changes vmight =be :made in the embodiment above set yi'ori'flL-it-s to be understood that all `matter hereinbeforeset forth or :shown in the accompanyingdrawing isto be interpreted-as illustrative andnot in :a limitingisense.

I-claim:

l, A lock .construction comprising va casing having av bolt movable into or out of the casing and a spring biasing the bolt outwardly of the casing,a .campperafble tozmove ythe bolt inwardly `of thecasin-g and Iagainst said spring whereby said spring x4reacts. upon. said cam, an abutment integrally formed with a Wall of said casing and positioned adjacent said cam so that at least a portion of the latter, when said cam is actuated to withdraw the bolt, moves into operative relation to said abutment, said abutment and said portion of said cam having coacting interengageable parts comprising a spring nger on one and a notch on the other forming a detent whereby, upon engagement of said parts, said cam is held against movement, and means mounting said cam for movement and for guiding it during movement to bring said cam portion into operative relation to said abutment and providing sufficient looseness so that the reaction of said spring upon said cam effects bodily displacement of the cam to bring said interengageable parts into interengagement, said Wall having the abutment integrally formed therewith being the casing back plate which has a portion of its metal cut and bent out of its plane to form said abutment and to thereby leave an aperture adjacent said abutment, and a screw extending through said aperture and in threaded engagement with a part of the casing to hold the back plate assembled thereto.

2. A lock construction comprising a casing having movably supported therein a bolt for projection outwardly of the casing and for withdrawal into the casing, a spring acting upon said bolt to bias it in one direction relative to the casing, a cam journalled loosely, axially and transversely within said casing and having operating connections with said bolt and having means operable from the exterior of the casing for actuating the cam whereby said spring reacts upon said cam when the latter moves the bolt in opposition to the spring, an abutment integrally formed with a wall of the casing and inclined transversely away from said cam and positioned so that at least a part of said cam is movable adjacent and relative to the abutment, the cam and the abutment having coacting portions capable of interengagement comprising a spring nger abutment on one and a notch on the other forming a detent and capable, when interengaged, to hold said cam against movement, and means whereby said spring effects shifting of said cam to bring said coacting portions of the cam and abutment into interengagement.

3. A lock construction comprising a casing having opposed front and back walls, a bolt having means mounting it for movement outwardly or inwardly of the casing and into projected and withdrawn positions respectively, a spring operating upon said bolt to bias it in one direction of movement, a rotary cam loosely journalled axially and transversely having operating connections with said bolt and adapted to actuate the latter against the action of said spring, an inclined, outwardly directed abutment integrally formed with one of said Walls, and loose, axially and transversely journalled means rotatably supporting said cam relative to one of said walls and providing a loose bearing therefor adapted to permit radial and transverse displacement of the cam, said cam and said abutment having interengageable holding parts comprising a notch on the cam and a spring finger on the abutment of which the cam part is brought into engagement with the other in response to radial displacement of the cam under the action of said spring.`

4. A lock construction comprising a casing having a bolt movable into and out of the casing and a spring biasing the bolt outwardly of the casing, abutment portions, and cam members operable selectively from each side of the casing to move the bolt inwardly of the casing and against said spring biasing whereby said spring reacts upon said camvmembers so that at least a portion of the latter, when one of said cams is actuated to withdraw the bolt, moves into operable relationship to one of said abutment portions, said abutment portions and said cam members having co-acting, inter-engageable parts comprising a member on one and a notch on the other forming a detent whereby, upon engagement of said parts, said cam and the bolt are held against movement, and means mounting said cam mem bers for movement and for guiding them during movement to bring said cam portions into operative relation to one of said abutment portions, and providing sufficient looseness so that the reaction of said spring biasing upon one of said cam members eiects bodily displacement of the cam and abutment portions relative to each other to bring said inter-engageable parts into interengagement and hold said bolt in retracted position, at least one of said cam members being connected to a connecting bar rotated adjacent one end by a key controlled plug and at its other end extending into said cam in keying engagement and with radial play.

LUDWIG J. KALWO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 720,986 Voight Feb. 1'7, 1903 2,225,545 Brantingson Dec. 17, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 383,565 Great Britain Nov. 17, 1932 

